Twenty Drivers Give Workout to New Hybrid Unit as Debut Nears
MILWAUKEE (Tuesday, June 11, 2024) – It appears Wisconsin is Team Penske’s new playground.
Two days after sweeping the podium at Road America, Team Penske drivers Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were the three fastest drivers, respectively, in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test at Milwaukee Mile.
Two-time series champion Power led with a lap of 161.521 mph in the No. 12 Chevrolet on the historic 1-mile oval. Two-time reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Newgarden followed at 160.759 in the No. 2 Chevrolet, with McLaughlin third at 160.639 in the No. 3 Chevrolet. Power won the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR last Sunday at Road America, followed by Newgarden and McLaughlin in Team Penske’s first podium sweep in a series event since 2017.
All 20 cars in the all-day test were equipped with the new hybrid unit that will make its competition debut Friday-Sunday, July 5-7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid.
“You do feel it’s probably going to assist in passing,” Power said of the hybrid unit. “If you’ve got a run on someone, I think it will work.”
The hybrid units will be used during the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ first return to this track since 2015 during the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 doubleheader Aug. 31-Sept. 1. Power is one of two active series drivers with a win at Milwaukee; he won in 2014, while Scott Dixon won in 2009.
“It hasn’t changed much,” Power said of the famed oval. “I think those patches don’t seem to have much grip though in the middle of the corners, which is really good for passing. It’s the same track. It feels exactly like it did.
“I did really well here. It was one of my favorite ovals. I had been looking forward to coming here.”
Colton Herta was fourth in testing today at 160.137 in the No. 26 Honda fielded by Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren rounded out the top five at 159.993 in his No. 5 Chevrolet.
David Malukas was eighth at 159.293 in his debut with Meyer Shank Racing in the No. 66 Honda. Malukas missed the first seven races of the season due to a wrist injury suffered in a preseason mountain biking accident. He will make his racing debut with MSR at Mid-Ohio.
Light rain delayed the test for 36 minutes late in the afternoon while teams were in the race simulation portion of the schedule, when the field was divided into two groups. The 20 drivers combined to turn 3,563 incident-free laps on the day. That’s equal to 178 laps per driver, more than half of the 250-lap distance of each of the races over Labor Day weekend.
“This was another important milestone for the INDYCAR hybrid power unit,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “Chevrolet and Honda checked a lot of boxes today, and none of it could happen without the continued partnership and support of our drivers and teams. The anticipation grows, and we cannot wait to see the hybrid era begin at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a few weeks.”
The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES event is the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Live coverage starts at 6 p.m. ET on the USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
